Pages

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

E.M.
Forster’s The Machine Stops is an extraordinary short story that
was decades ahead of its time. Written in 1909, the author paints a picture of
a far future human society. Humanity has retreated underground. People spend
almost one hundred percent of their time isolated in their personal rooms. A
worldwide mechanical contrivance, known as “The Machine,” runs everything.

The society
is dystopian. Real human connection and interaction, critical thought and connection
to nature are non-existent. People are beginning to worship The Machine like a
deity. Transgressions against the system are punished by death.

Vashti is a
woman who happily abides by society’s dictates. Her son Kuno is a rebel who
challenges the system. Among other things, he secretly and illegally visits
Earth’s surface.

This tale is
so prophetic that it bears noting just how accurately Forster predicted certain
aspects of our digital age. What contact there is with other people is
accomplished through a system that is amazingly like today’s Internet. This
system relies heavily upon video conferences and applications that resemble
email and instant messaging. People spend much of their day chatting with one
another using these mechanisms.

At one
point, the Vashti goes through a process that seems very similar to logging
into a computer and checking messages, which seems to be reflective of our
present day social media accounts,

"all
the accumulations of the last three minutes burst upon her. The room was filled
with the noise of bells, and speaking-tubes. What was the new food like? Could
she recommend it? Has she had any ideas lately? Might one tell her one"s
own ideas? Would she make an engagement to visit the public nurseries at an
early date? - say this day month.

To most of
these questions she replied with irritation - a growing quality in that
accelerated age. She said that the new food was horrible. That she could not
visit the public nurseries through press of engagements. That she had no ideas
of her own but had just been told one-that four stars and three in the middle
were like a man: she doubted there was much in it. Then she switched off her
correspondents”

It bears
repeating that this story this was written in 1909.

Several
themes permeate the story, including the dangers of technology, loss of the
ability to think critically, loss of humanity’s connection with nature and
Forster’s seemingly universal concern with the issue of human connections. I
have read Forster’s Howards End, A Room with a View (my commentary on
this work ishere ) and A Passage to India (my
commentary on this work ishere). These three novels all concern
themselves with people bridging the gap between intellectual, social and
cultural differences. Forster is a champion of people of differing groups
reaching out to one another. At the same time, all of these books
emphasize how difficult such connections can be and how they can even endanger
individuals.

Thus, it is
no surprise that Forster delves into this concept within his science fiction
tale. At one point, Vashti becomes infuriated when another woman, in an attempt
to help her avoid a fall, touches her.

“People
never touched one another. The custom had become obsolete, owing to the
Machine.”

One would
expect a nightmare world created by Forster in such a place where even this
simple human shared experience is forbidden.

I highly
recommend this story. As I alluded to earlier, in terms of technology, Forster
was uncanny in his prediction of the future here. In addition, though his
theme of human connections is a common one, he approaches it within this tale
in a unique and interesting way. Finally, this is just an interesting story
that is well worth reading.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Lately, the issue of criticizing religion has been a hot topic. On
one extreme are those who want absolutely no critique of religious belief and or
holy books whatsoever. On the other extreme are those who are tying criticism of
faiths to their own brand of bigotry and vitriolic language. Of course, there
are many folks in the middle. In
particular, the criticism of Islam has landed itself into the midst of this.

All belief systems need criticism, including those that I hold
dear. For instance, I tend to champion secularism, the scientific method and democracy,
to name a few. I not only accept that these things will be criticized, but I
understand that such scrutiny helps improve these thought systems. Ideas and
ideologies can thrive as a result of being exposed to criticism, scrutiny and
even parody. This allows invalid ideas to be discarded, paves the way for ideas
that need improvement to be modified, and illuminates the strength of really
good ideas. Religious belief is no exception. It is vital that in a free
society, folks discuss and debate ideas. Religion touches upon our world in so
many ways and must be included in the debate and discussion.

When a belief system is not open to criticism, it creates all sorts of
problems. First, if I were to accept that religion should not be criticized,
than I would logically insist that a whole range of other beliefs that I
cherish, should also not be criticized. In addition, when folks commit
irrational or immoral acts in the name of the religion, a prohibition on
criticism removes the ability to examine the motivations as well as to fully
expose these actions.

Ironically, though I am a nonbeliever and I often argue that we
need to be free to criticize religion, I often find myself praising it as often
as I disapprove of certain aspects of it. I also prefer, but do not insist,
that criticism be polite and sensitive to the feelings of reasonable believers.
This is not just because I like to be nice. When people’s thought systems come
under scathing attack, they become understandably defensive. In addition, a one-sided
view of religion, its history and how it motivates people to act does not seem reflective
of reality. There is a lot of good motivated by and done in the name of religion.
There are worthwhile ideas and concepts that come out of it both historically
and in our present day. I wrote about the need to have a balanced view on these
topics in more detail here.

I would be remiss if I did not mention a group that is called the “New
Atheists.” Richard Dawkins is the most prominent of this group that includes Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and others. This group uses strong rhetoric and
has little respect for any religious ideas. Though they seem careful not to
attack individuals, their commentary on religion is often scathing.

Though I agree with much of what they say, I find that not only is
their tone too harsh for my taste, but that their view of religion is too lopsided,
never emphasizing the good that comes out of it. There are also those who go
well beyond this group. Social media is full of people who express biting
hatred of religion. Sometimes this hatred is paired with racism. Nevertheless,
in a free society, such voices will inevitably speak, and unless they are
calling for violence, they should not be censored.

Just because speech is permissible does not make it right. I support
reasoned criticism of all belief systems. I also like to be respectful unless a
belief is hateful or promoting discrimination or violence. With that, I also
think that parody as well as harsh criticism is often in order. This is
especially true when the subject is murder, violence, brutality, discrimination,
etc. that are driven by the things written in holy books. Simply put, there are
abominable things in both the Old Testament and the Koran. The fact that these
holy books also include a lot of good things does not alleviate the need for
scrutiny.

As of late, Islam seems to be at the center of this debate. There
has been very harsh criticism of that belief system lately. There has also been
outright hate, bigotry and violence directed at Muslims. There has also been
lots of fair and reasoned criticism that has unfairly been labeled
“Islamophobia.” Maryam Namazie, a critic of extremist violence
and mistreatment of women in Islam, has been exposed to caustic verbal attacks
and harassment by extremists. Even worse,
violence has been aimed at religious critics. The very worst of this involved the
murders of the Charlie Hebdo
cartoonists. The Charlie
Hebdo attacks served as a stark reminder to those of us who believe in freedom
of speech just how far people will go to suppress that liberty in the name of
religion.

There have been cases where non – Muslim commentators,
such as Emmanuel Todd, have joined in and partially blamed the Charlie Hebdo
cartoonists for the violence and excoriated those who are criticizing Islam. In
turn, some secularists have coined the term “Regressive Left” for liberals who
they deem to be apologizing for violence and discrimination in the name of
Islam.

Folks will point out with much truth that these violent fanatics do not
represent the Islamic faith. It is absolutely true that most Muslims do not support
such things. However, the Koran (Since the question comes up when I discuss
this topic, I have read the Koran twice), which despite containing a lot of
good things is full of racism, misogyny and calls for violence, points to the
fact there is some connection. The fact that many of those who perpetuate oppression and violence directly cite the text of this holy book further supports this contention.

A popular response to criticism of Islam is that parts of Old Testament
advocates terrible barbarities. This is true. Though it seems apparent that it is not driving as much violence and oppression in out current age, belief in certain aspects Old Testament ideology drives some discrimination and violence. Since it is connected to all three
Abrahamic Religions, this is particularly significant.This is another good argument as to why it is
imperative that people be free to criticize religious belief systems.

Though in my opinion the New Testament does not advocate violence
and discrimination like other holy books do, it is full of ideas about how
people should live. It touches upon morality, human nature, the nature of
existence, and even economics. Such a comprehensive set of beliefs also lends
itself and must be open to scrutiny.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention the positive actions
that the various religions as well the texts of the holy books seem to motivate.
All the major religions drive an enormous
amount of charitable and humanitarian action. With that, such positive aspects
of these faith - based systems do not exempt these systems from scrutiny and
criticism. However, such activities must be considered when formulating any
comprehensive view of these belief systems.

Though I have read multiple texts connected with the Eastern
religions I am less knowledgeable concerning these belief systems and their
impact on humanity. With that, I believe most of the issues and arguments that
I raise here also apply to Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, etc.

Folks may disagree with some of my opinions on various belief
systems. Such disagreement is actually part of the very important discussion
that humanity needs to be having about the enormously influentialgroup of ideas known as religion.

No doubt religion will always be criticized, in ways that I agree
with and in ways that I disagree with. There will also be folks who defend
these belief systems. There will be others who insist that religious beliefs are
above criticism. I have argued before that a society where folks are free and
open to various ideas as well as to criticize these ideas is ideal. I have also
mentioned that I am a believer in The Marketplace of Ideas. In such a
marketplace, all ideas, including religious ones, must be open to discussion and debate.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Jeff
VanderMeer’s Acceptance is the last
book of his Southern Reach Trilogy. My commentary of the first book in the
series, Annihilation is here.
My commentary on the second book in the series is Authority is here.

Told
from the points of view of various characters introduced in the previous
novels, this last book in the sequence follows three narratives that take place
during different time periods.

One
thread follows events that happened 30 years prior to the action in the first
two books. It takes place in the weeks preceding the strange transformation of an
area of Florida into what is known as Area X. Saul Evans is an ex-preacher who has become a lighthouse
keeper. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Saul, as well as the
lighthouse, is an integral part of Area X’s formation and the strange phenomena
that occur within its borders. Like most of the main characters of the trilogy,
the lighthouse keeper is well fleshed out and complex.

Another
thread takes place shortly before the beginning of the first book in the
series. It centers on an earlier director of Southern Reach, the organization
tasked with the investigation of Area X. This director was known as “The Psychologist”
in the first book. Here, she investigates the mysteries of Area X both from
within and without. She is another well-drawn character.

The third
story thread involves a trip into Area X by Control and Ghost Bird, the two
main characters from book two. As the pair traverses Area X, they encounter monstrous
creatures as well as bizarre events.

VanderMeer
weaves an intricately plotted tale of interconnected characters and events. As
the stories unfold, more and more is revealed about Area X as well as the
Trilogy characters.

In
this entry, the usual themes involving ecology and the inscrutability of knowledge
and truth are further examined. The end of the book further reinforces some of
the ongoing ideas.

As
it was in the second book, the mood of this novel is varied. The narrative
ranges from psychological horror, quirky humor, deep psychological character
study and more. Parts of it are written in rare second person narration. This
unusual style works well as it adds to a sense of disconnection from reality as
well as from perception that has characterized this entire series.

At
one point, the personality of the Psychologist is filled in using this style. The
below use of the word “Your” is by the narrator and not by a character in the
book.

“Your father had been paranoid about the
government, every once in a while took on something shady to supplement the day
job as a part-time bartender— a low-level grifter.”

Ultimately,
some of the mysteries involving Area X are solved. VanderMeer does reveal, in
very basic terms, what is behind the strange doings in Area X.But many questions, some that seemed to be on
the brink of intriguing solutions, remain open. In addition, several of the
stories and characters’ fates are left open ended. This fits in well with the
themes presented throughout the series regarding the elusiveness of truth. It seems
to be representative of our endless search for what is, at times, unattainable
knowledge. Though this inconclusiveness gives the ending a thematic unity with
what preceded it, I was left partially unsatisfied.

The
problem is that throughout the series, many enigmas were presented. None of
these mysteries seemed unsolvable. To the contrary, solving them would have
helped to pull the entire narrative together. Thus, it seems that providing
more explanations should have been a necessary ingredient to be included in the
series wrap up. Perhaps the themes of the books could have been reinforced in
some other way. Based on the intrigue raised in relation to many mysteries that
VanderMeer created, more answers here would have made the entire trilogy
stronger and more coherent.

Despite
the lack of more fulfilling answers, this novel is filled with interesting
characters and ideas. Like the previous books, the plot is compelling. It is
chocked of strange events that kept me very interested. It is a page -turner. With that, I found the first book in
the series Annihilation, was the best
of the three.

The
Southern Reach story is unique, creative and meaningful science fiction. There
are numerous elements that make these works very distinctive. Despite the fact
that the reader is left a bit hanging by the ending, I highly recommend this
series. It is refreshingly different in many ways. Fans of strange and
enigmatic stories should be very impressed. Those looking for strong characters
and for meaning in their fantastical tales will also not be disappointed. These
books are well worth reading.